B1 5v5 TUE Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 06, 2023

BY JAY SHAH

WEEK 1 9/5

Treys for Days (51) v. Men’s League (42)

Strong first half for Treys for Days allows them to hold on in the second half and come out on top against Men’s League

Treys for Days had a balanced team performance, with all 6 active players playing heavy minutes. Wes Schroll led the way, scoring a massive 23 points to allow his team to come out on top with 10 buckets, including 3 huge triples. He also showed his prowess on the defensive end, securing a few blocks and steals each, helping his team get critical stops when it mattered most. Meanwhile, Dana Flood set the table for Schroll repeatedly while converting some opportunities of his own, including a clutch triple to help seal the lead. He also created multiple opportunities around the basket, leading to a game- and day-high 6 free throw attempts. The Kevins - McGovern and “LaFranchise” LaFrancis - supplemented the Treys’ solid scoring, while also putting in work on the glass to ensure the late-arriving height of Men’s League didn’t create too many second-chance buckets. Issenberg rounded out an excellent effort on the boards. Meanwhile, Sam Longwell hit a huge three while also serving as the Treys’ enforcer, picking up 4 hard fouls to force Men’s League to prove it at the line.

George Schultz led the way for Men’s League, scoring a critical 14 points to keep his team in the game, showing off his shooting touch to match Schroll’s 3 triples while shooting over 40% from behind the arc. Schultz set the table for teammates time and time again, dishing 6 assists. A bespectacled Tom Smith helped lead a late charge for Men’s League, scoring a few buckets in the second half to keep the Treys’ in striking distance, including an unexpected swish from deep. Look for him to be more heavily featured going forward. Max Staiger was all over the floor on the defensive end in addition to being the 3rd-leading scorer, swiping the ball from the Treys’ 3 times and stuffing it as well. Josh Salter led the team in energy plays, appearing all over and on the floor, diving for the ball and hustling back on defense. He drew multiple calls and sunk a couple free throws. In addition, Charlie Bagin was all over the boards, and made his few shot attempts count. Sub Hernan sunk a key three as well. Finally, late arrival Will Childs-Klein immediately made his defensive presence felt when he entered the game, significantly slowing the scoring for the Treys while dominating the boards en route to double digit boards, including an offensive rebound he took back up for a thunderous putback dunk. 

Next up:

Treys for Days (1-0) at Markit Basketball (1-0) - 9/12 8:30p

Men’s League (0-1) vs. CCC Studios (0-1) - 9/12 7:30p

Eastie Hoops (63) vs. Markit Basketball (82)

Tight first half turns into dominant win for high-flying Markit Basketball as Eastie Hoops runs out of gas

At the outset, Eastie Hoops looked excellent. Shots were falling, the rock was moving with speed, and the team’s creativity and versatility were on display. In the second half, though, everything changed: once able to keep the game close, Eastie fell behind double digits and could never string together enough scores and stops to keep the game competitive. Ryan Willis was the leading scorer and the primary reason Eastie was able to stay in the game as long as they did, scoring 21 points, all on 7 made 3-pointers. Willis didn’t stop there, attacking the boards with ferocity, putting up a league-high 15 boards, including 14 on the defensive glass. He pushed the ball relentlessly from the backcourt, often stopping and popping from behind the arc, or dishing to a teammate to rack up one of his 5 assists. Kyle Coughlin and Christian Garcia helped buoy the team as well, with the former attacking the basket from all around the court, including 2/6 shooting from deep among Coughlin’s 12 points. Garcia worked primarily down low, bruising with Markit and pushing through to score 5 huge buckets for his team en route to 10 points and 8 boards, including 2 on the offensive glass leading to second chance opportunities of which Eastie could not take full advantage. Joseph Shapiro was able to leverage his size under the basket to a large degree as well, securing 5 offensive boards on his way to another 12 points. Continuing Eastie’s trend of reliance on shooting, Lucas Fortier contributed 8 points, with 6 coming from 2 deep balls (50% shooting). 

Meanwhile, Markit Basketball put together an incredibly balanced team performance. Scoring was spread out through the team, with 4 different Markiters putting up double-digit points, including Peter Chang and Cameron Gleichauf with 17 points apiece. P. Chang showed off his speed throughout the contest, blowing by Eastie defenders with ease on his way to the basket, while also using that threat to create space to get off some looks from beyond the arc, where he cashed in 3 3-pointers on over 40% shooting. Gleichauf was a lightning rod off the bench, finding his way right to the basket time and time again. The Dorosh brothers were the next leading scorers, with Justin scoring 15 and Kevin right behind at 14, and combining for a massive 6 steals. Victor Chang rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 of his own, converting second chance buckets and operating effectively down low. Jacob Kirsch emulated Pat Beverley as he hounded the Easties defensively, and was generally a thorn in their side especially down the stretch. Finally, southpaw Raj Patel chipped in 6 points as he proved to be a defensive presence with Julius Randle’s shooting form. 

Next up:

Eastie Hoops (0-1) at Skelton’s Boys (0-0) - 9/12 6:30p

Markit Basketball (1-0) vs. Treys for Days (1-0) - 9/12 8:30p

CCC Studios (75) vs. Wat Rats (80)

Wat Rats fight back to force overtime on incredible buzzer beater before putting the hammer down in OT

The first buzzer beater of the season took place in the final game of the night Tuesday, as Joe Martin banked in a layup off a beautiful series of passes right as the horn sounded to tie the game at 72 and send the game into a 2-minute overtime. Ref KD, per sources, said that the shot may even have left Martin’s fingertips after the buzzer went off, but with the instant replay system down, the tie went to the Wat Rats, and the bucket counted. In the extra 3rd period, Anthony Coppola and Matt Coffey continued their second half hot shooting and almost instantly put the nail in the coffin of CCC Studios, nailing a triple each to put Studios on their backs. Studios fought hard to the end to keep the possibility of a second overtime alive, but the quick extra period bought them precious little time to score their way back into it. The overtime 3-point makes by Coppola and Coffey continued their star performances from regulation and especially the second half, as A. Coppola drained 6 of 8 threes on his way to a team-leading 24 points and Coffey hit 4 of 7 to make up the majority of his critical 18 points to go with 3 steals. Marco Coppola was everywhere on the floor, leading the way with his speed to score 16 points mostly on drives to the basket and tough makes - he was the heartbeat of the team without question, playing nearly every possible minute and diving for loose balls until the end. Joe Martin was a massive presence near the basket throughout the game, and his positioning to be ready for the game-tying layup was incredibly prescient. Dylan Stockdale used his size effectively as a defensive presence, and converted a couple key baskets near the end of regulation on his way to 9 points. Arthur Kostikian meanwhile played far larger than his stature, racking up multiple huge swats that he was happy to watch careen out of bounds. 

Zac Brown led the way for CCC Studios, picking up his 21 points and 7 boards by operating right around the basket for the majority of the night. Eric Prue opened up the game by firing away from deep, hitting 3s to immediately put the Wat Rats on their heels. He hit 5 in total to finish with 15 points. Mike Salis racked up 17 points and a couple offensive boards, but his most notable contribution was his 8 assists as he whipped the ball around the court, constantly looking for a teammate to feed it to with an easy cut to the basket. Mike Simoni had some huge offensive baskets as the teams went back and forth at the end of regulation, and he hit all 5 of his attempts at the charity stripe as well. 

Next up:

Wat Rats (1-0) BYE

CCC Studios (0-1) at Men’s League (0-1) - 9/12 7:30p

Three Stars: (weekly recap of outstanding performances from around the league)

• Ryan Willis (Eastie Hoops) - 21 points (7/13 3pt), 15 rebounds, 5 assists
• Cameron Gleichauf (Markit Basketball) - 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
• Anthony Coppola (Wat Rats) - 24 points (6/8 3pt), 5 rebounds, 2 assists

Power Rankings:

1. Markit Basketball
2. Wat Rats
3. CCC Studios
4. Treys for Days
5. Eastie Hoops
6. Men’s League
7. (Not Rated) Skelton’s Boys